


Pick Up The Pieces

by Sins_of_the_Scruff



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Soulmates, Underfell, Underfell Grillby, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, a rewrite inspired by another fic that nearly tore my heart out, minor angst with a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 02:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14684973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sins_of_the_Scruff/pseuds/Sins_of_the_Scruff
Summary: ***REWRITTEN FIC AND FINALLY FINISHED***Original summary: Fell!Sans goes to the bar with you to have a couple drinks. When he unexpectedly ends up discovering his soulmate, that isn't you, you're left to pick up your own fractured pieces on your own and move on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally titled 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go', 'Pick Up The Pieces' is a short fic that I rewrote and finally finished after a year of it in limbo. It is based on a fic that I can't even remember now that really put me in a dark place and so here was my attempt to make it at least end on a happier note.

You knew the minute Sans’ hand left yours that it was all over.

  
  
It was a Tuesday night when you and Sans made your daily trip to Grillby’s. You’d been going out for the past year and a half and while the relationship purely started out as a kind of ‘friends with benefits’ deal, you had started to garner feelings for the little asshole skeleton. When he realized what was going on, he advised right off the bat that it wasn’t going to be permanent due to you not being his soulmate. You could deal with those terms, or so you thought. What was the likelihood that he would run into his soulmate in this tiny town?   
  
Some people never met their soulmates in life, so you were happy with what you had going on in the meantime, until tonight. You and sans came in like normal and said hello to the regulars when Sans suddenly stopped in front of you. Nearly crashing into him, you looked over his shoulder to see what was up. There, sitting in your normal spot, was another woman around your age. She was staring at Sans with a look of surprise and Sans dropped your hand as he seemed to be pulled to the woman in a trance.   
  
Your heart lurched up into your throat, Sans had given you fair warning of what might happen when he found the One and it was quite clear that this was the moment you had been dreading. He walked up to the woman and while not a word was said, a deeper conversation was going on, resonating in their very souls. He held his hand out and she gripped it and they both smiled as he said something you couldn’t hear and he motioned to the back. You watched as they both crept into the ‘Employees only’ room and agony rushed through you as a piece of your soul started to crack.

  
Your legs felt like giving out from underneath, but you willed yourself to a nearby booth. Focusing on channeling your breath which was coming on in deep heaves, you struggled not to just break down like you wanted to. Inside, you knew this moment was coming and while the cracking continued within, you were going to ride this out strong and wait for Sans to come and send you off like he said he would. If there was anything that he promised, it was that the both of you would leave on amicable terms.   
  
So, when the waiting turned from 20 minutes, to an hour, to over two hours and finally seeing them emerge from the back disheveled and rather spent only to head right out the doors, your heart cracked just a little bit more. She staggered up to the bar where the fiery bartender gave her a devilish smile, _“One or four for the road, dearie?”_ He had been taking extreme pleasure by calling out what he was hearing behind the door like some goddamn referee. You glared through tear filled eyes as a 50g was slammed on the bar, _“Fork over the bottle, Grillby, and for once, shut the fuck up.”_ His eyes went wide as he grabbed a bottle from underneath and handed it over.   
  
You swiped it from him with a growl and took a large pull from it, grimacing at the burn it gave. It was certainly better than the pain you were feeling now. Turning, you made sure to glare at each and every patron that had started to gossip and exited the bar into the cold night, realizing that you had no way home other than to walk. There was a pressure building in your chest, but you were unable to release it. Instead, you let it simmer and boil with the added Monster Ale as you walked home. The house was still dark, indicating that Sans and the woman had not come home and for once, you were relieved that you were alone.   
  
Not even bothering with the lights, you dumped your purse, threw the empty bottle at the wall and watched it crack into a million pieces to the floor, and discarded your shoes on the floor haphazardly. Staggering up the stairs to what was now no longer your room, you tugged the heavy trunk from the closet. Your phone vibrated in your pocket and you fished it out, almost dropping it. Groaning and ignoring the pain that was starting to spread through her body, you tore clothing from hangers and dresser drawers along with little personal items and threw them into the trunk, not caring if it was neat.   
  
Once the trunk was packed, you looked around. Anything that couldn’t fit, you would just leave. It was only material items, not that they mattered anymore anyway. You dragged the trunk out of the room, struggling with it down the stairs and into the living room. Sitting on the trunk to catch your breath, some tears finally rolled down her face. You wiped at them angrily, you told yourself you weren’t going to do this! You came to terms with what your “relationship” was with Sans and when the end came, you would be steadfast in seeing him and the new woman off. Afterall, you and Sans both agreed to still be friends after everything.   
  
But, something about him completely forgetting you, even after the initial courtship, strike that, fuck in the bar employees room. left you feeling worse than if he had just let your go to your face. Sans completely ghosting you, not even acknowledging you were at the bar after something like that was a heart wrenching blow. Sans could be an asshole, but this took the cake. You let your tears flow for a bit longer before letting out a small shriek when the door came crashing open. Papyrus strolled through in his security uniform and scowled as he searched for the lights.   
  
When he flicked them on, his scowl turned into surprise as he stared at your drunk, teary eyed self sitting atop a full to the brim trunk. **_“HUMAN, WHAT IS GOING ON?! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE OUT WITH SANS TONIGHT.”_ ** Just the mention of the name had your heart breaking a little more, but you sucked in a tight breath and struggled to find words as a weak smile spread across your face. _“It’s...it’s over, Papyrus.”_ Papyrus eyes grew wide, **_“EXPLAIN, HUMAN. WHAT IS ‘OVER’?”_ **   
  
You sighed, clenching your hands on her legs for support, _“It’s just over, Papyrus. Sans...Sans found his soulmate.”_ Saying it out loud helped a little bit, but the crackling feeling had turned into a painful tearing sensation. You looked up to Papyrus and was shocked to actually see a look of concern spread across his face. **_“SO, HE HAS FOUND SOMEONE THAT COMPLETES HIM. I IMAGINE THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOU RIGHT NOW.”_ ** You nodded, _“It is, b-but I knew this day would come a-and I need to be strong. I n-need to be...happy for him.”_   
  
The fake smile you had on your face faltered as your stutterings became more severe, and the tears broke like a dam as you started to sob, throwing Papyrus into further confusion. _“IT HURTS, PAPYRUS, IT HURTS SO MUCH. I THOUGHT I COULD ACCEPT THIS, BUT...HE JUST LEFT ME THERE LIKE I WAS NOTHING.”_ Your voice dropped to a whisper, _“I’m so stupid, Papyrus. Letting something like love completely break me even when I said I could take it. I was just lying to myself.”_ Papyrus didn’t know what to do. The normally mild mannered human was breaking down in front of him and he wasn’t too good with the whole “comfort” thing. He was puzzled as to how you were injured as he could see no blood nor mark on you.   
  
He walked over and kneeled down, pushing your sobbing body up. You continued to cry and blubber something he couldn’t understand and he felt the need to check your soul. It put up some resistance, but he eventually coaxed it out of your chest and nearly cried out in shock. The normally bright soul was dimmed, the color of your trait barely distinguishable in the low light. But what really shocked him was the wide crack that ran down the middle of it. Someone with that amount of damage shouldn’t even be awake, let alone sitting up and crying.   
  
Your cries died away into soft sniffles and you held his hand to guide your soul back into your chest. _“I need to leave, Papyrus. I can’t stay here, it’s too much right now. I don’t want to be here if he brings her here. I can’t do it, it’ll kill me.”_ You got to your feet weakly and looked him in the eyes almost in a daze. _“H-HUMAN, DID SANS SPEAK TO YOU AFTER HE FOUND HIS SOULMATE?”_ You started to laugh, the sound cruelly fake as tears threatened to spill again. _“Heh, he left me there at the bar, Papyrus. He pulled her into the back office for a quickie and then just left. He fucking left me there to take it all in while bar patrons stared, gossiped, and he left with...her.”_ Turning to lock the trunk, you exhaled slowly, “I didn’t matter, nothing mattered at all.”

  
You stood up and didn’t move for a moment, to then turn to Papyrus. He was still knelt on the ground, staring inquisitively, not knowing what you were going to do. You suddenly leaned forward and hugged him, _“You mattered, though. I’m going to miss you the most, Papyrus. You and your fantastic pasta.”_ Papyrus froze, before robotically pulling his arms up and around the you. **_“WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GO, HUMAN?”_ ** His voice had lowered to almost a calm whisper as you pulled back from the hug, surprised that he even returned the hug in the first place. _“I don’t know, Papyrus, anywhere but here for right now.”_   
  
For once, you saw something other than irritation on Papyrus’ face. If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought he looked sad. Your phone unexpectedly started going off and sheyou cursed under her breath, knowing who that ringtone belonged to. Papyrus disapproved of foul language so you continued to curse silently. You pulled her phone out and glared at it, throwing it on the side table. _“I...I gotta go,Papyrus. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime in the future.”_ You stroked his face, _“Seriously I’m going to miss you. Tell...tell Sans congratulations and have a happy future.”_ With that, Papyrus stood and moved to the side as you tugged on the trunk. You wrangled the door open and dragged the heavy case outside onto the porch, _“Bye, Papyrus. Take care~”_   
  
The door quietly shut and Papyrus drew a long breath that let out in a loud sigh while he rubbed his hand over his face. His brother had fucked up royally this time. On one hand, Sans had found his soulmate, which Papyrus was actually happy to hear, but the way in which he handled breaking the news to you, the now ex-girlfriend, was completely unacceptable. Papyrus turned and looked out the window to see you throwing the trunk in the back of the car and getting into the front seat. You placed your head in your hands for a moment and he could see you shaking as distant muffled screams could be heard. After a what seemed like ages, you calmed down enough to start the car and drive away.   
  
Papyrus did not know where you were going, but he wished you luck. He would miss you terribly, even if he didn’t admit it to your face. Even though you called herself stupid in the meltdown, Papyrus had a feeling you possessed more power and determination than you realized and now it would be put to the test. The silence in the house was suddenly broken by the jingle of a phone call. Papyrus turned to see your cell phone on the table, the screen lit up to show his brother's scowl and the name, "Cherry Bomb" as the person calling. He let it ring and ring till it left a voicemail. On the second call, he picked it up and answered it, _"[Y/N!] [Y/N], please don't hang up! I know I fucked up at Grillbs when I went MIA with Celina, and kinda left you there with no explanation, but we need to talk about this!"_ Papyrus listened to his brother ramble for a couple seconds before interrupting, **_"THE HUMAN IS NOT HERE, SANS."_ **   
  
The line went quiet for a second before a muffled, _"shit"_ was heard. _"Paps?! Where did [Y/N] go? Is she at home? Put her on, this is fuckin' important!"_ Papyrus did not mince words, **_"AS I SAID BEFORE, SANS, THE HUMAN IS NOT HERE. SHE LEFT."_ ** Sans let a string of curses escape his mouth before Papyrus interrupted again, **_"I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH LANGUAGE, SANS. I DO, HOWEVER, THINK IT WOULD BE IN YOUR BEST DECISION TO COME HOME AS IT IS EVIDENT YOU HAVE MADE A MESS OF THINGS AGAIN, THOUGH I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS ONE WILL BE RESOLVED."_ ** He could hear Sans talking to someone and then the telltale noise of his teleporting sounded behind him, _"Alright bro, where. is. she?!"_ Papyrus clicked the phone and threw it at him, **_"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE CLEARER TO YOU, SANS, SO I SHALL SIMPLY STATE FOR A FINAL TIME: THE. HUMAN. IS. GONE."_ ** ****_  
_   
Sans angrily ran his hands over his skull, _"God damnit, how the fuck was I supposed to know my soulmate would end up at Grillby's on a Tuesday!? She should've known this was bound to happen, I told her from the start she wasn't my mate to begin with!"_ Papyrus roughly snagged his jacket and hoisted him up, **_"SHE DID UNDERSTAND THAT. YES, SHE WAS UPSET THAT YOU FOUND YOUR TRUE MATE, HOWEVER, THE MANNER IN WHICH YOU "DUMPED HER" IS WHAT SENT HER AWAY. HAD YOU JUST A MODICUM OF DIGNITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH HER TONIGHT, PERHAPS SHE WOULD STILL BE HERE.”_ **   
  
  
**_“DO NOT EVEN THINK OF PLACING BLAME ON HER, IT ALL FALLS ON YOU."_ ** With that, he dropped his brother and strolled towards the stairs to his room, ******_"I DO NOT KNOW WHERE SHE HAS GONE, BUT I WISH HER WELL WHEREVER SHE MAY BE. IT'S THE LEAST I CAN DO AFTER WHAT SHE HAS BEEN DEALT WITH TONIGHT. "_**


	2. Chapter 2

**A year later...**   
  
_"[Y/N], I need to run these cakes over to the Wallaces' Graduation Party, so I'm out!"_   
  
Precariously applying dark purple colored icing to a wedding cake, you replied, _"Sounds good, Hallie! After that you're good for the night! I'll clock you in at a full 8 hours for helping me out today."_ Hallie smiled, _"Aw, you don't have to do that! I should come back and help you clean up! The Conner party really did a number on the place."_ You looked around your cluttered and messy bakery and sighed happily. Ever since opening it up about 4 months ago, your recipes brought folks far and wide and the store was usually packed from opening to almost closing time.   
  
Tuesday nights were relatively quiet though, so you shook your head, _"Go on! You need some time to yourself what with your own engagement coming up. I'm so excited for you!"_ Hallie smiled, _"Thanks, [Y/N], you're a really good friend, and totally awesome Boss."_ You snorted, _"Don't overdo it, I still expect you here early tomorrow, we've got 6 cakes to finish and deliver!"_ Hallie nodded and dashed out the door, _"Turning the sign, over! Don't stay too late!"_ _  
_   
About an hour or so later, you were placing the now finished wedding cake back into the freezer and just before shutting the door, stared at the cake topper. It was a comical statue of the bride dragging a groom by the collar. A sharp jolt emanated from your soul and you sighed, _“C’mon, girl, let it go already. You’ve made so much progress with yourself, don’t fall back into old habits.”_ The jingle of the front door snapped you out of the inner monologue and you sighed again, most people knew how to read and the 'Closed' sign was pretty big, but what the hell. It had been a pretty quiet day for once, so you’d get over it and accommodate the guests.   
  
Locking the freezer, you grabbed a plate of cupcakes from earlier in the day, _"Hey guys! Welcome to Sinful Deli-"_ The words died on your breath when you realized who stood at the counter. _"[Y/N]?!"_ **_"HUMAN?!"_ ** Sans and Papyrus stood before you with their mouths agape as you processed who was actually standing in your shop and then quickly steeled your expression, _"W-What can I do for you?"_ C’mon now, no stuttering, you’re strong and you’ve been working for this moment for a long, long time. The skeleton bros remained quiet before Sans sputtered, _"Kid, w-where have you been? I, we, we thought we'd never see you again."_   
  
  
You scoffed as you placed the cupcakes down and looked them both over. Of course they would show back up in your life damn near on the 1 year anniversary of the Incident. You huffed and whispered to yourself, _“Stay. Calm.”_ Remember what Dr. Grayson said: do not let the initial contact send you spiraling into the depression you just got yourself out of. The skeleton brothers hadn’t really changed since the last time you saw the both of them. Sans still wore the same basketball shorts, fluffed jacket, but instead of his sweater, he wore a black shirt that had "Groom" on it.   
  
You stared at it for a couple of seconds, really letting it process that he was indeed getting married, let out a big sigh, and then turned your attention to Papyrus. Gone was the dark, pristine security uniform that he was oh so devoted to in the beginning, instead he wore black pants with a dark red turtleneck sweater, leather jacket and his trademark scarf. You glanced down to see he had heeled boots on and let a small smirk cross your face. He always did have to have those extra 3 inches even as he towered over everyone to begin with.   
  
_"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Papyrus?"_  Choosing to ignore Sans for the moment, you turned your full attention to the tall, brooding skeleton offering him a cupcake. He stared down at it like it was some kind of foreign object before taking and holding it, **_“[Y/N], WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”_ ** Your eyes widened as he actually called you by name before smiling, _"ya big numbskull, this is my bakery! I opened it about 4 months ago after getting my small business license! Learning to cook and bake with you really paid off and things have been really moving up since..."_ Your smile lessened as you glanced over to Sans who was obviously affected by your words, _"well, since I moved on from a negative situation."_ Sans scowled, _"So it's gonna be like that, huh? A full year goes by and not a single call ta let us know where ya went?! Half of us thought ya had gone and offed yerself!"_ You chuckled cruelly, _"Bet that would've worked in your favor, Sans. No loose ends to worry about while you dote on your newly found mate. Happily ever after."_ Sans' eyes flashed red as he growled, _"Leave her out of this. If ya had just waited for me, I woulda come back ta talk about everything!"_ _  
_   
You rubbed you hand over your eyes, _“You’re right, let's go ahead and get something straight right off the back, I have no animosity towards your mate. None whatsoever.”_ You let the hand drop and gave him the coldest eyes you could muster and grabbed several dishes that were left on a table and went to throw them in the sink, _"And for your information, I did wait, Sans. For over two fucking hours I sat at Grillby's and endured gossip from that bastard bartender and other patrons. After your sweet backroom frolic ended, I sat by and watched as you walked out the door. Not even a glance was thrown in my direction. Really, Sans, did you honestly expect me to just sit there all goddamn night when it was clear it was over?!”_   
  
Sans was starting to sweat as you realized you were shaking and took a second to calm yourself back down. Eyes opening. they landed on Papyrus, finding it easier to remain relaxed as you started back up, but quieter. _“Probably a good 3 hours later, I walked my ass back to the house with a bottle of Monster Ale to keep me company to then wait another miserable hour.”_ You threw the dishes into the sink with such force, it was a miracle they didn’t shatter. _“When it became clear you weren't coming home, I made the decision for you and packed everything up and left."_ The stress was starting to build as you retrieved a small ashtray from behind the counter and came back around to sit at one of the tables. You fished around in her jacket and pulled a packet of cigarettes out, snagging one and lighting it up.   
  
_“You smoke?!”_ , Sans exclaimed. You didn’t bother to answer him and instead offered one to Papyrus who gingerly took one and sat on the other side of the table. Sans was flabbergasted as he shrieked, _“P-PAPS! SINCE WHEN DO YOU SMOKE!?”_ Papyrus shrugged and let you light him up and watched as you took a drag of your own cigarette and expelled the smoke in a loud sigh, _"I knew the rules when we got together that it wasn't meant to be and that eventually it would end once you found your soulmate. I understood everything was over the minute you let go of my hand that night at the bar. What I didn’t expect was to be completely forgotten like that year and a half meant nothing.”_ _  
_   
Going silent and continuing to smoke, expelling it and staring at the cloudy wisps they made only to disappear into the air wishing you could disappear along with them. But, you made it this far, you would finish this and close the door on that painful past and continue on to a brighter future. _“I'm sure she completes you in every way that I couldn't and hope that you are treating her like a goddamn Queen. You don’t want to see what happens when you don’t."_   
  
Sans said nothing as he shuffled over and sat beside his brother, grabbing a cigarette from his own jacket. You flicked the cigarette free of its dangling ashes and continued, _"Y’know, people say it's devastating to die from a broken heart. But, let me tell you, real fucking pain is living through and slowly rebuilding a broken heart. Every day it’s a struggle and I finally understand what you were going through, Sans. All those nightmares, and depressive states really do a number on you, don’t they?”_ Sans mumbled and slowly nodded his head, _“But where your nightmare eventually ended after everyone escaped the Underground and the ‘resets’ you constantly spoke about stopped,”_ you paused slightly, _“and finding your soulmate, things looked pretty damn good for you, didn’t they?”_ _  
_   
Sans took a longer than needed drag of the cigarette, _“yeah, yeah they stopped.”_ You snubbed what was left of the burning cigarette into the ashtray and lit another. _“Well, don’t believe me if you want, but I’m glad to hear you’re doing better. Continually living with painful cracks is a real bitch.”_ Sans stared at her in confusion and you rolled your eyes, _“I don’t think you deserve to see this, but fine. Do you mind if I show him, Papyrus?"_ You asked Papyrus out of respect as souls were usually a very private matter, but he held your soul once and you could trust him to hold it again. He hesitated, throwing his spent cigarette away, and finally held his hand in front of your chest and coaxed your soul out into the open.   
  
There was no resistance and soon there was a bright [your color] heart pulsing in the darkened room. It glowed brightly, but an ugly, dark crack ran down the middle of it, dimming the color a bit. It was obvious that it was still in the process of healing and Sans face blanched at the sight of it. _"Alright, I'll take it back, Papyrus. Thank you."_ Papyrus guided it back into the your chest and you felt a shiver up your spine, feeling a certain warmth leave when Papyrus let go.   
  
  
_"I didn't expect to form a bond as strong as it was, but that's my fault. I get it and take full responsibility over my emotions, so I’ll be the first to say: I’m sorry. I’ve been working with Dr. Grayson for the past six months and it’s really helped get me back on my feet. After all, I got new friends that care about me and a great job. So, in a way, we both benefited from this.”_ A weight that had been sitting on your chest for so long was starting to lift and you took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling. Sans snuffed his cigarette, _“Who’s Dr. Grayson?”_ Papyrus didn’t say anything, but a suspicious look crossed his face. You stretched and stood, grabbing the plate of cupcakes to put them back in the display case, _“Dr. Grayson is my therapist. He’s been helping with my depression for about the last 7 months.”_ Sans’ eyes went wide, _“You’re seeing a head shrink?!”_ _  
_   
You turned and rolled your eyes, _“well fucking duh. I went through heavy psychological trauma and nearly did myself in when I didn’t eat for 3 weeks. I was a mess and needed some help. But, I think I actually look good after losing 30 pounds.”_ You watched out of the corner of your eye as Papyrus looked you up and down, **_“YOU WERE PERFECTLY FINE AT THE WEIGHT YOU WERE A YEAR AGO, [Y/N].”_ ** Wow,, a compliment from Papyrus? That had to be rare.   
  
_“Well thank you, Papyrus, no doubt I’ll probably be back at that weight soon what with all the baked goods around me. -sigh- Speaking of, there was a reason you both came in, so what do you need?”_ Sans shuffled nervously, _“Uh, we...we were looking fer someone t-ta…”_ Papyrus suddenly interrupted, **_“WE HAVE COME FOR A WEDDING CAKE, [Y/N]. WE WERE TOLD THIS WAS THE BEST PLACE IN TOWN FOR ONE.”_ ** You smiled at Papyrus, _“Yeah, news spread really fast once I opened Sinful Delights. Guess your hard training in the cooking lessons really paid off.”_ For once in her lifetime, you saw a genuine smile spread across Papyrus’ face before he looked away quickly, a dark red color flushing across his cheekbones.   
  
Wow, two surprises from Papyrus in one night. you grinned back at the normally scowling turned blushing skeleton and went to grab the cake book from behind the counter. The thick book held hundreds of cake designs and Sans eyelights extinguished, **_“HOW MANY FUCKIN’ CAKES DO YA MAKE??!”_ ** You crossed your arms and smirked, _“My cakes are diverse, Sans. There’s SO many designs, types, flavors, and colors!”_ Sans placed his head in hands and groaned, _“Ugh, I thought this was going ta be simple..”_   
  
  
You cracked the book open and stared at Papyrus who was starting to sift through the pages, his eyelights brightening, “'Simple is for lazy bones. Good cooking requires practice. Great cooking requires love...and sacrifice. Now, let’s start with a hard question, what’s your mate’s favorite color?”


	3. Chapter 3

**_4 months later_ **

 

_ “I swear to god, I will murder whoever thought corsets on a dress were a necessity!” _ You huffed as you tried moving the corset around to find some relief. Hallie giggled from the doorway,  _ “You’re the one that decided to skip the gym for the past 2 months AND still wanted to look good in that dress you just HAD to have.” _ You growled,  _ “don’t start, Hallie. Let’s just get to delivering this damned masterpiece to the venue so I can take this damned thing off!” _

The cake that had ended up on the drawing table and then to the prep table was a feat in itself and was probably one of the most intricately detailed cakes you’d ever made. Once sans and Papyrus realized just how much detail could be put into a cake, they kept you in the bakery until nearly 3 in the morning. After all the tense debating was over with, a dual sided, 4 tiered cake was born. One side was covered in white and ivory fondant and intricately designed to look like a flowing wedding dress with tiny candied pearls and shapes of flowers cascaded down the “dress”.

On the other side, it was an edgelord’s decadent dream come true. Black fondant covered the devil’s food cake with gold spiked collars around the bottom of each layer. For shit’s in giggles, she had been able to make a skull in fondant with a golden tooth and placed it on the side, writing “till ‘death’ do us part” in red. Other accents included dark red roses and gold trim. It truly was a pain in the ass to make given the other projects you had, but thanks to Hallie and even Papyrus came over to see that the cake was made to specific detail, it was completed on time. 

You and Hallie were invited to the actual wedding, but chose not to attend. You decided that the wedding needed to be about him and his new wife. Knowing his anxiety, she would just add to it and decided only to show up to the reception for a bit. Who would say no to a free dinner?! The reception hall was quite lavish. When you and Hallie rolled the cake into the room, you were taken aback at just how many tables there were for guests. Gently placing the cake on its pedestal, the both of you took a few steps back to look at the masterpiece.  _ “Fantastic job, [Y/N]. They’re really gonna love it, even if the groom doesn’t deserve it.” _ You turned to Hallie,  _ “What did I say, Hallie? I’ve gotten over it and this is just business. We had a long talk and we’ve both come to terms what happened wasn’t a great way to end the relationship, but we’d be fine with just being friends.” _

Hallie crossed her arms,  _ “Fine, I’m just looking out for your well being. No one hurts your feelings without dealing with me.” _ When you turned back around, you found Hallie in a fighting stance, her hands balled into fists and jabbing fake punches.  _ “Hey, hey! Watch the cake! That took forever and I won’t have Papyrus pitching a fit if we’ve dinged it in any way! You know not the wrath of the tall edgy one.”  _ Hallie rolled her eyes,  _ “alright, whatever, now where do we get to sit? I’m famished!” _ You scoured the tables and finally located the two name tags at a table off to the side. Good, that means you’d be out of the way and easier to escape once dinner and formalities were over with.

 

* * *

Dinner was absolutely insane. Papyrus had personally set out to make as much pasta as he could, so much that it was being boxed up and sent home for the guests to enjoy. You managed to finagle 3 boxes of it away without being noticed, you had desperately missed Papyrus’ cooking to point you felt like a drug addict who just scored the mother of all fixes. Sans and his wife...looked really good. You actually couldn’t remember seeing him that happy. Good. That’s...what he deserved and you were happy for him. A slight twinge hit your soul, but it was brushed away, as you glanced over beside sans to realize that Papyrus was staring right at you. 

A different twinge hit your soul, an almost warm feeling like that large crack was slowly filling, millimeter by millimeter. You averted your gaze as your face grew red and you finished the rest of the pasta. The DJ, Mettaton, had started up some heavy music and everyone was joining in on the dance floor, including Hallie and her date. The corset was getting to its breaking point what with the giant meal that you just devoured and all the heat from the people in the atmosphere, she was starting to panic. You rose shakily and staggered out one of the open side doors to a little balcony area and leaned over the railing to try and catch your breath.

Even with the corset cutting off nearly half your breath, it wasn’t going to stop you from enjoying a cigarette. You stared out into the garden that lay below and admired the small pond that mirrored the full moon that was above in the sky. It really was a perfect venue, one that you would have loved to have had it....  _ “Excuse me? Are you [Y/N]?”  _ A voice shook you out of your thoughts and you turned to greet the stranger.  _ “I am I-” _ You turned to face none other than sans’ mate and newly married wife. She looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding dress and you would be lying if a spark of jealousy didn’t course its way through your veins.  _ “Y-yes, I’m [Y/N]. It’s uh, nice to meet you. Congratulations by the way.” _ You were going to be completely professional, but when the woman crossed the space gave you a hug, it definitely took you by surprise.

_ “Sorry, where are my manners, I’m sure you saw from the invitations and from whatever sans and Papyrus blabbered at the cake meeting, but I’m Celina! I didn’t see you at the wedding but was so happy you came to the reception! It is so good to finally meet you! The cake was gorgeous and absolutely delicious!”  _ You awkwardly returned the hug and silently wished for someone to come interrupt so you wouldn’t have to do this all alone.  _ “Uh, yeah, you’re welcome. Sans and Papyrus were pretty specific for what you wanted in the cake. I hope it turned out good considering the time it took to make it.” _ Celina rolled her eyes,  _ “I told sans I would’ve been fine with a box cake from the grocery store, he didn’t need to go the extra mile. But, then again, this is about as active as I’ve seen him in awhile now.” _ You took another drag of her cigarette and Celina’s eyes lit up,  _ “oh my god, can I bum one of those off you?”  _

You pulled the cigarettes box from her cleavage, hey there was no room in the tiny matching clutch purse and you’d be damned if they were left at home. Celina lit one up and sat down in one of the chairs and untied the sash that wrapped around her dress. Letting out a huge breath, she sunk into the chair, not caring that her dress was getting wrinkled in the process.  _ “Can I share something with you? I am SO ready to ditch this suffocating dress and go out for some beer and a good cheeseburger.”  _ You had to agree,  _ “Ditto, this corset is going to suck the soul right out of me if I’m in it for a couple hours longer. Why in God’s name there’s not a thing like a business casual wedding is beyond me.”  _ Celina’s eyes lit up,  _ “oh my god, that would have been perfect! To be honest, my parents are the one who did this whole shindig.” _ She flicked a few of the ashes off her cigarette, _ “my perfect wedding was just to spend it at our regular stomping ground. It’s this little bar on the outskirts of town with the best cheeseburgers where I first met sans and-” _

 

_ “Grillby’s” _

 

You interrupted and snubbed the cigarette out on the railing, quickly realizing where this was going. _ “You know the place? I thought only people that lived in that small town knew out that hole in the wall.” _ You pulled out another cigarette, _ “yeah, I used to go there all the time before I moved into the city. Grillby’s a bit of a bastard, but makes one hell of a fireball cocktail. They were...sans’ favorite.” _ Celina looked at you in confusion before she spat out her cigarette,  _ “no, you’re THAT [Y/N]?!” _ She quickly stood up and enveloped you in another hug, but this one was tighter and you could’ve sworn that Celina had started sniffling. When she pulled away, she was indeed teary eyed.  _ “What’s wrong, why are you crying?”  _ Celina shook her head,  _ “oh my god, I didn’t even recognize you, but you’re the girl from the picture at home!”  _

It was your turn to look confused,  _ “what picture are you talking about?” _ Celina managed to pull herself together to speak clearly, _ “the night I met sans, I know there was a girl that he came with before....”  _ She trailed off and you nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about.  _ “Eventually when I finally moved in with sans, he had a box of things that he was throwing away. Papyrus had caught him and they were in the middle of an argument over who kept the box with Papyrus finally winning out. Sans never told me what was in the box, he just said it was junk that needed to be thrown out.”  _ Your eye twitched, you had a pretty good idea of what was in the box. You hadn’t been able to put everything in the trunk the night you left and just had to part with some of you things. 

_ “About a month or so later, I was putting laundry away in Papyrus’ closet when I discovered the box. It hadn’t been thrown away and I decided to snoop into it. What I found was...I guess your personal stuff? A lot of it was just pictures...I...I didn’t know you were his girlfriend. He didn’t say a lot once everything was said and done, but...fuck, I am so sorry.” _ She started tearing up again,  _ “there were some pictures where sans was completely ripped out of the picture, I know there was one with him, Papyrus and you. Papyrus ended up catching me and nearly screaming the house down about messing with personal property. Him and sans nearly got into it that night and didn’t speak to each other for a couple days. I just, I never knew you were close to him otherwise I would have-”  _

 

_ “Stop.” _

 

Celina looked up to see you shaking your head and taking another drag of the cigarette, _ “when I was with sans, I knew that possibly the day would come that he’d meet his soulmate. I knew I wasn’t the one, would never be the one. But, somehow I got it into my head and that you’d never show, right up until he let go of my hand for the very last time when we got to the bar. And at that point, I accepted it. I was fully ready to let him go and show myself out after meeting you.”  _ Your gaze turned dark as you started to pace,  _ “but, after your little rendezvous in the back room and having to listen to that piece of shit flaming bartender for more than an hour on the highlights of the coupling, I started to crumble. When he left me there without a fucking word, I was livid. I was hurt that the time we spent together seemed to mean absolutely fucking nothing. Didn’t even get an introduction to you and a mutual goodbye, just a slap to the face and then he went home with you.” _

Flicking the spent cigarette, you turned to lean over the railing,  _ “I went back to the house, drowned my sorrows in cheap monster ale and when it was clear he wasn’t coming back that night to apologize or even make amends like we planned, I made my choice to leave. Papyrus understood and wished me luck wherever I went and you know, I think leaving Papyrus was harder than leaving sans.” _ You sighed,  _ “I don’t...I don’t have any anger or whatever for you. I’m happy that he found his soulmate and even threatened him at the cake meeting that he’d better be treating you a hell of a lot better than he treated me. By the looks on your faces tonight, it seems he’s keeping his word.”  _

Celina sniffed and wiped her nose,  _ “he can be a straight up bastard sometimes, but that’s...that’s unacceptable.”  _ The tears were suddenly gone and a look of irritation was spread across her face,  _ “did he ever actually apologize to you?” _ You shrugged, _ “not really, I didn’t give him a chance to that night and even when he met me again with Papyrus at the cake tasting, it didn’t come up.” _ Something flashed in her eyes and about that time, sans came out of the hall with two glasses of wine, _ “hey there babe, why don’t you and I…”  _ His voice trailed off as he noticed you standing at the railing and Celina standing with her back to him. _ “Sans…” _ Her voice was low and unamused as sans started to sweat, _ “y-yeah?” _ Celina suddenly turned,  _ “YOU NEVER APOLOGIZED TO THIS WOMAN?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, HOW COULD YOU BE SO INSENSITIVE?! FURTHERMORE, YOU HAD THE BALLS TO TRY AND THROW HER STUFF AWAY WITHOUT EVEN TRYING TO LOCATE HER TO GIVE IT BACK?! YOU UNBELIEVABLE ASSHOLE.” _

Celina was yelling loudly and sans seemed to shrink in on himself as she grew louder. You quickly stepped in before the loud commotion drew everyone outside,  _ “Stop! Look, I’ve come to terms with what sans did and I’m not ok with it, but… I forgave him a long time ago. There’s nothing for him to say sorry for anymore, it’s just over. It’s in the past and you have to move on.”  _ Celina was breathing heavily and you pulled her into a hug, coaxing the tension out. Celina eventually pulled away, and grabbed your hands,  _ “you’re really something, Evie, I can see why Papyrus spoke so highly of you.”  _ She turned and glared back at sans,  _ “I still expect you to apologize,  _ **_now._ ** _ ”  _ She took the wine glasses from him and went back inside the reception hall leaving you alone with sans, the very last thing that you wanted.

A moment or two of silence passed before you spoke,  _ “look I just want to say congratulations. You looked really happy up there with her and I hope she’s everything you could ever want in a wife.” _ sans was rubbing the back of his head trying to find the right words to say,  _ “I guess, I guess I do owe ya an apology. I was, uh, never good with emotions and that night...I dunno, everything kinda clicked inta place. It was all a blur until I woke at her house and fuck, ya were the first thing I thought of and I panicked. Ya didn’t answer yer phone and with Paps answered, I didn’t know what ta do. Ya just left, [Y/N].” _ You shrugged,  _ “I didn’t feel like I needed to stick around. I assumed, with the help of an entire bottle of monster ale, that I needed to move on and unfortunately, I needed to leave to do that. Believe me, it hurt to do it. I still have the scar and will probably have it for the rest of my life.” _

_ “I don’t need an apology, I’ve already moved on and I’d like to really end it here and just focus on the future. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet my soulmate soon enough. Besides, your wife seems like a switch temper, it’ll be interesting to finally see your ass beat from the other side.”  _ He grumbled and glared at you, but his sockets widened when you held your hand out, _ “we good, friend?”  _ sans stared at you before grasping it and letting out a shriek as his hand was shocked. You started laughing as you pulled your hand back, revealing the small joy buzzer. “Gotcha.” sans rubbed his hand,  _ “Yeah, yeah, we’re good. But now it’s game on and I plan ta cheat whenever possible.”  _ You waved him off, “whatever, just don’t have your back turned on me,now go dance with the wife before she gets too shitfaced. She was already an emotional mess and that was just with the dinner wine and she’s now at the open bar shotgunning a beer.” 

Sans paled and realized the trouble he was about to find himself in,  _ “Shit! Celina, what did we talk about?!” _ He turned and ran back in, gathering his now cackling wife as she held the empty can up in triumph. You shook your head and smiled as sans held her and they laughed heartily. You’d find the one sooner or later, and if you could survive heartbreak, you could make it through the waiting game. The music had slowed down as a slow pop song started to play. Sans and Celina retreated to the middle of the dance floor, holding each other amongst other couples. You turned to grab the rest of the cigarettes off the railing and admired that the moon had reached its peak and cast bright light over the entire garden and pond, revealing all the beautiful landscaping and flowers. It really was a beautiful night. 

A sudden tap on your shoulder had you gasping in surprise and turning to see Papyrus standing before you. He had his hand out and a darkened red blush was spread across his cheekbones.  **_“DO YOU WISH TO DANCE, HU-[Y/N]?”_ ** You stared at the hand and then back up to his face where it was clear he was starting to sweat. You grasped the hand and he quickly pulled you close, nearly slamming you into his ribcage, _ “oof! Easy there, officer. At least read me my rights before manhandling me.” _ You smirked up at him and he rolled his eyelights, pulling you around into a slow twirl. “YOU ARE RUINING THE MOMENT, [Y/N]” You snickered, “can’t help it, Paps, it’s been so long since I’ve gotten to take a jab at you, it just came out.” 

The song drifted into a familiar slow song and you realized it was one of your favorites. Papyrus had slowed and you laid your head against his chest and enjoyed the slow twirling. This was really nice and the slow beat of Papyrus soul was almost enough to lull you to sleep, it was comforting and almost seem to call to your own soul. Papyrus’ hand lowered to your back and pulled you close as the other pulled your chin up to meet his gaze. His red eye lights twinkled in the moonlight and you were entranced by their shine. Why hadn’t you noticed how pretty his eye lights were, the way they brightened his overall terse demeanor. His skull leaned down as your eyes closed as you felt his lips touch yours.

There wasn’t a flash of electricity, there wasn’t an explosion of feeling, it was simply a warmth that spread from your lips through your body to wash over your soul that had started to throb contently. You didn’t have to say it, didn’t have to even think about it, this...this felt like the one and you smiled through the kiss as you put your hands around his neck to pull him closer. Papyrus eventually let up and his face was flushed with a sinful smirk as he looked around and then back to you, “YOU DON’T SUPPOSE THAT ANYONE WOULD BE IN THE KITCHEN AT THIS TIME DO YOU?” Your eyes widened at his statement, but quickly morphed into a devious smile, “Nope, but I got an empty van with plush seats that collapse ” He grinned and pulled you back into another kiss before quickly ushering you down the stairs and in the direction of the parking lot.

  
From the dancefloor, sans and Celina could see you and Papyrus out on the balcony and Celina was smiling ear to ear, _ “10 to 1 says they’re going to fuck in her bakery van.” _ sans’ face scrunched up as he took a drink of something alcoholic,  _ “nah, Paps’ too prudish ta lower himself ta fuck in a van of all cars. Asshole’s always saying he has standards to live up ta. It’s either a Porsche or no car at all.”  _ Celina stole the cup away from sans and downed it in one, not even noticing the burn,  _ “then it looks like you owe me good as they’re heading for the parking lot.”  _

 

sans’ eye lights extinguished, _ “fuck, i’m not buying another cake from her unless I get it myself. There’s NO way in Hell I’m trusting the red icing after tonight!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and yeah, after like a year I finally finished this short fic. It's by no means perfect, but I really wanted to finish this at some point and I really liked the idea of the reader finding her soulmate in Papyrus. And I would think that some soulmates are not an instantaneous feeling, but that sometimes it takes time and just the right moment for it blossom and blah blah blah,I got the happy ending I wanted, so there. lol


End file.
